It was amazing to read about the Banana Upside Down Cake in connection with the Huffington Post's Food page. It comes from Fat Girl Recipes, which is a website that cuts no corners when it comes to making good things to eat.
However, recently I was investigating Spelt flour, a substitute for super-refined pastry flour, and I found that it can be used deliciously in non-yeast baking. Then right on top of that, I found this recipe and since we have bananas around our homes quite a bit of the time, we can make this recipe quickly when there is a need for a quick dessert. It also doesn't use up all your bananas.
Of course, there is always the danger of buying too many bananas--which happens often at my house--and if you want to use up some that are on their way out, this is going to work. You can make a lot of banana bread too, but there is such a thing as enough. Here is a real alternative.
By the way, Spelt flour can be bought at many supermarkets in Tucson, but the one I got was Bob's Red Mill Spelt Flour, which I found at Sprouts.
BANANA UPSIDE DOWN CAKE
Ingredients:
3 small to medium size bananas
2 cups sugar
1/2 stick butter, at room temperature
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup clarified butter
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup buttermilk (I would use plain milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Halve the bananas lengthwise, then crosswise.
In a saucepan, combine 1 cup of the sugar with about 2 tablespoons water (so the mix looks like damp sand). Melt over high heat, swirling the pan occasionally, until the sugar caramelizes. When the caramel is dark amber, add the butter and stir to combine. Pour the mixture immediately into an 8-inch cake pan. Arrange the bananas in the caramel, cut side down.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt and set them aside. In a mixer, using a whisk attachment, combine the remaining sugar and the clarified butter. With the mixture on low, add the eggs, one at a time. Add the (butter)milk and vanilla.
Add the flour mixture to the batter a third at a time. Pour the batter over the bananas and bake until the cake springs back and begins to pull away from the sides, about 50 minutes. Allow the cake to cool for 5 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate. Serve warm or at room temperature.
I would like to prepare this cake for my Sunday coffee hour at church because it would go over with the Latino folks who come to the 12:30 Spanish service there. As soon as I get some bananas I will plan it for the weekend.
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